Adopt & Shop makes pet adoption a feel-good experience for all

The dogs, cats and other animals at the shop aren't being sold for profit - they come from a local shelter.

Ever since Found Animals, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit, began its adoption model in April 2011, about 850 pets have been adopted from the Lakewood Center mall location.

The organization decided that starting its first pet adoption retailer at a mall made good business sense, said Executive Director Aimee Gilbreath.

"What we wanted to do is play on the popularity of the pet store in the mall and make it a model everybody can feel good about - one that shelters pets," she said.

"It takes the original pet store concept, but stocks it with adoptable pets from the shelter."

It helps that the Lakewood Center is one of the largest malls in the country and has 17 million visitors a year, Gilbreath said.

"I don't have to spend a lot of money on marketing because people are already here," she said. "We already get the traffic and it's a really good way to bring the pets to the people and get them the exposure that gets them adopted."

The nonprofit store acquires animals from the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority in Downey, one of Found Animals' shelter partners.

The 1,084-square-foot shop has everything pet owners could need. It not only features pets, but also carries the basic supplies needed for a new pet, including food, collars, leashes, ID tags, bowls, litter boxes, kitty litter, eco-friendly toys and bedding.

"You can walk out the door with your new pet and the supplies you need to make that transition and to integrate that pet into your home," Gilbreath said. "It's one-stop shopping."

Raymond Hendrickson, who adopted 1<MD+,%30,%55,%70>1/<MD-,%0,%55,%70>2 -year-old Mia from Adopt & Shop about a month ago, brought the dog back for a visit last week.

"Something like this pet store is such a great idea and I hope it catches on," he said. "A lot of people can't go to shelters because it's sort of depressing. But here you get to spend time with the dog (before adopting it). I was able to walk her around. It's much more hands-on here."

There are some things potential adopters won't find at the store: the negative and often intimidating feeling of many shelters, Gilbreath said.

"What sets this store apart from shelters is the environment. We make an effort to make it very upbeat, to make it very colorful and friendly and very customer-service focused," she said.

"If you're worried about the shelter being sad, smelly or noisy, our store is none of those things. Our store is a very pleasant, happy experience."

The average length of stay at the store is less than a week, Gilbreath said.

"The biggest problem we've had is keeping enough pets in stock," she said. "We've been adopting them out at a rate of about 60 a month.

"They go home fairly quickly and it's allowed us to reach 800 adoptions in one year, which has exceeded our expectations."

Unlike a traditional pet store, Found Animals' trained adoption counselors and volunteers get to know people and help them find the pet that matches their preferences and lifestyle.

Katrina Ivory, 20, is studying to become a veterinarian and has volunteered at the store for nearly a year.

"I volunteer here because I think it's admirable how they basically take animals from the shelter instead of a lot of animals in pet stores (which) come from puppy mills," she said.

"Here they come from the shelter and it gets them exposure."

A store like Adopt & Shop breaks the stereotypes of what pet stores and sheltered animals are like, Ivory said.

The Lakewood store features cats, dogs and other animals. Each adopted pet is sterilized, vaccinated and micro-chipped, and goes home with the resources and support to ensure a successful integration into the household, Gilbreath said.

Because of the success of the Lakewood store, Found Animals is searching for places to open at least two more Adopt & Shop stores.

"We are looking for locations up and down the coast and we hope to have two more locations by the end of the year," Gilbreath said.